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Mariah Carey is looking back at some of the most defining moments of her career. The chanteuse sat down with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang for a new episode of the duo’s Las Culturistas podcast, where Carey revealed how much her sixth studio album, Butterfly, meant to her. “It definitely has very special significance to […]
Lil Nas X‘s 2019 smash “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, has maintained some pretty impressive records on the Billboard charts. But five years later, he’s happily passing the torch to two other artists. Last week, Kendrick Lamar‘s “Not Like Us” broke the record for most weeks at No. 1 (21) on Billboard‘s Hot […]
A day after Rufus Wainwright and Village People co-founder Victor Willis lashed out at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for playing their songs during a 39-minute musical interlude at one of his campaign events, the Republican National Committee has responded to the criticism.
In a statement to Billboard, RNC spokesperson Taylor Rogers noted that the campaign has the appropriate licenses from performing rights organizations BMI and ASCAP to play the music heard at the town hall in Oaks, Pa. on Monday during which the twice impeached former President halted the planned Q&A session to cue up a playlist of his favorite songs. “It’s a shame that some artists want to limit half of the country from enjoying their music,” Rogers said.
The unusual event hosted by Trump in one of the most crucial swing states was intended to be a back-and-forth with voters. But less than an hour in, after an audience member required medical attention Trump halted the proceedings and inexplicably asked his team to fire up Schubert’s “Ave Maria.”
The strange sight of convicted felon Trump doing a swaying dance to the instrumental version of that song instantly became fodder for mockery on late night programs and news casts on Tuesday. Democratic rival Kamala Harris’ X feed piled on with a trolling statement saying “hope he’s okay” along with video from the event of Trump solemnly swinging side-to-side as he listened to his playlist in the overheated room.
“Let’s not do anymore questions. Let’s just listen to music,” Trump said after a second audience member reportedly fainted from the heat. “Personally, I enjoy this,” Trump said. “We lose weight. We could do this, lose 4-5 pounds.” He then asked his for his sound person to cue up a second version of the funeral and church service staple “Ave Maria,” requesting a vocal version sung by Luciano Pavarotti.
“We’ll do a little music. Let’s make this a musical-fest,” said Trump, whose unusual request prompted NBC News to report that the incident once again put the focus on Democrats’ questions about 78-year-old Trump’s mental acuity with just three weeks to go before the Nov. 5 presidential election; if elected a second time, Trump would be the oldest president in the nation’s history.
In addition to the “Ave Maria” double-down, Trump spun Rufus Wainwright’s cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” as well as Sinead O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Oliver Anthony’s “Rich Men North of Richmond,” Guns N’ Roses’ “November Rain,” James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World,” Elvis’ “An American Trilogy,” the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” and Andrea Bocelli’s “Time to Say Goodbye,” another song often played at funerals.
Harris supporter Wainwright issued a statement on Tuesday blasting Trump for playing his version of Cohen’s beloved, oft-covered 1984 hymn.
“The song ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen has become an anthem dedicated to peace, love and acceptance of the truth. I’ve been supremely honored over the years to be connected with this ode to tolerance,” wrote Wainwright. “Witnessing Trump and his supporters commune with this music last night was the height of blasphemy. Of course, I in no way condone this and was mortified, but the good in me hopes that perhaps in inhabiting and really listening to the lyrics of Cohen’s masterpiece, Donald Trump just might experience a hint of remorse over what he’s caused. I’m not holding my breath.” The statement also noted that the publishing company for the Cohen estate has sent a cease-and-desist order to the Trump campaign.”
GNR and O’Connor’s reps have publicly requested that Trump not to play their music during his campaign stops, and the Village People threatened to sue the former reality TV star last year over a lookalike band playing their hits at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Florida private. Trump has long been enamored with the group’s 1978 queer disco classic, which he plays a many of his events; spokespeople for GNR and O’Connor’s estate had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment on Trump’s event.
In a statement sent to Billboard on Tuesday morning, Village People co-founder, “Y.M.C.A.” lyricist and one of the owners of the song’s copyright Victor Willis wrote, “I have been inundated with hundreds of complaints from the public and press about Donald Trump and his campaign’s use of my song,” he said. “Me, and the Village People as well, have in the past opposed Trump’s use of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ and we have made this very clear to him.”
While Willis acknowledged that Trump has continued to play the song because he is “legally entitled” to thanks to what the RNC said in its statement is the proper licensing, he noted that despite his objections he will not be taking legal action at this time. “Could I have asked my wife, who’s a lawyer, to have BMI revoke his political use license… yes,” Willis said, adding that he decided not to because Trump’s repeated spins have “greatly benefited” the song.
“Some fans are demanding that I sue. I am not going to sue the President over his use of ‘Y.M.C.A.’ because it’s stupid and just plain hateful,” Willis said. “Though I don’t dislike Trump, I am a registered Democrat who supports Kamala Harris for President.” He added that Harris is also free to play the song if she wants to.
Trump has accrued a long list of artists who have objected to his use of their songs at his events, including, over two weeks this summer, Beyoncé, the Foo Fighters and Jack White, who blasted him for using their music without permission. They joined a long roster of acts who’ve made similar requests since Trump launched his first presidential bid in 2015, one that includes: Adele, Panic! at the Disco’s Brendon Urie, Celine Dion, Earth, Wind & Fire, George Harrison, Neil Young, Isaac Hayes, Linkin Park, Nickelback, Ozzy Osbourne, Prince’s estate and R.E.M., among many others.
VivaOla, an R&B artist born in Korea and raised in Tokyo, released his second full album, APORIE VIVANT, in March. His progressive style, inspired by Bryson Tiller’s album Trapsoul, has generated a great deal of buzz, and he recently released a new song, “RIGHT/WRONG,” which features Jimmy Brown, a globally active R&B artist based in Korea. This is the second collaboration between the two, following Jimmy’s 2022 song “bag on you,” on which VivaOla appeared. The borderless style of “RIGHT/WRONG,” with lyrics switching between English, Japanese, and Korean, embodies today’s music environment, where music has global reach.
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Billboard Japan had the opportunity to talk to these two artists, whose roots lie in R&B but whose creativity crosses genre lines and national borders.
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To start off with, VivaOla, could you introduce Jimmy Brown?
VivaOla: Jimmy’s an artist based in Korea who releases songs in English, with an eye toward fan bases in North America and Europe. He’s been a part of the global R&B scene for a while now, so I’d known about him for a while, but a shared Korean acquaintance of ours put me in touch with him. In 2022, I was a featured vocalist on his song “bag on you,” which I recorded remotely, without ever meeting him in person. We finally met for the first time at Shibuya in August 2023, when he came to Japan on vacation. I grew up listening to R&B from the 2000s and the 2010s, and I could feel that same musical influence in his vocals and songs. His music really resonated with me, and when I found out later that the “Brown” in Jimmy Brown came from Chris Brown, one of his favorite R&B singers, it made perfect sense.
Jimmy Brown: Thank you. I think VivaOla’s appeal lies in his beautiful singing voice. When I was working on “bag on you,” I knew that it would be a great song if I could get his voice on it, so I asked him to be a featured artist. The song was positive to begin with, but his addition increased those vibes, and I love how the song came out.
VivaOla: I work a lot with Kenya Fujita from Bleecker Chrome, who appears as a featured artist on my new album, APORIE VIVANT, and he was also talking about how he had to “catch the vibes.” It made me realize, again, that it’s more important to catch that vibe rather than the sound or style of the song. In “bag on you,” money represents love. Money’s a sensitive topic that I handle in my own works, too. I used a lot of trial and error in writing “bag on you,” and I was able to tie it all together with the message of loving someone so much you want to give them everything, even if you don’t have any money. I’m glad that Jimmy and I were able to arrive at that same message.
Tell us how you went from collaborating on “bag on you” to, two years later, featuring Jimmy on your own song with your second collab, “RIGHT/WRONG.”
VivaOla: For me, 2022 was a year of collaborations, but out of the many I did that year, “bag on you” was my favorite, in terms of the mix, the lyrics, and the vibe. Following the release of APORIE VIVANT, I’ve written a lot of songs with producer Kota Matsukawa (founder of creative collective and label w.a.u). I knew one of the songs would be even better if we had a featuring artist, so I consulted with Kota about who we should go with, and we were like “Jimmy Brown would be great, wouldn’t he?” After releasing “bag on you,” I’d met Jimmy in person and gotten a feel for what a wonderful person he was, so I wanted him to collaborate with me on one of my own songs. My songs are about all kinds of topics, like our internal struggles, but the theme of this new song with Jimmy was straightforward: love. Kenya and I worked on the songwriting together, and we both talked about how we wanted to write a song that would excite Jimmy.
In “bag on you,” Jimmy depicts love in a positive way, but “RIGHT/WRONG” feels more in line with your style, VivaOla, not necessarily depicting love as always positive.
VivaOla: Right, it’s a little bit dark. But even though there’s this dark part, as you point out, the verse section is ultra-positive. I was hoping Jimmy would use a Chris Brown-like vocal approach, and I was really happy to feel that Chris Brown feeling in his verse section, where the groove is in double-time.
On your latest album, APORIE VIVANT, which came out in March, you embodied the spirit of trap soul, inspired by Bryson Tiller. What sound approach did you use on your new song?
VivaOla: Stylistically, I carried on the feel of APORIE VIVANT, but while the actual sounds are trap, I wasn’t fixated on the music itself being trap. That’s why I didn’t use the rapid-fire rapping of trap, but instead tried for a more alternative rap feel, like Frank Ocean.
Jimmy, what do you think of VivaOla’s music?
Jimmy Brown: It’s got a very modern sound. If you listen to our verses, you’ll be able to hear the things we have in common and also our differences. For both of us, our roots lie in American R&B, but there are some major differences in how we stretch out our voices, the parts we stretch out, and how we use our vocal cords. Before I was exposed to R&B, I grew up in the Korean countryside, listening to [traditional] Korean ballads, which I think influenced me. Likewise, I think VivaOla was influenced by his experience with rock and jazz, before he got into R&B. But I don’t think these are things we’re consciously trying to bring out, they’re part of our respective characters, the products of our backgrounds.
VivaOla: In my case, I often overthink my singing approach, so I end up circling around to singing without thinking about it, but Jimmy doesn’t overthink things, he’s a very genuine artist. The two of us are alike in that neither of us is really all up in our own heads when we’re singing, but my approach is the exact opposite of Jimmy’s. I think that’s what draws us to each other, and our approaches harmonize within the same song.
So you’re more of a producer-style singer-songwriter, VivaOla, while you, Jimmy, are more of a natural-born singer-songwriter. And your contrasting styles resonate in “RIGHT/WRONG.”
Jimmy Brown: I’m a very simple man (laughs).
Can we look forward to hearing more collaborations between you two in the future?
VivaOla: “bag on you” and “RIGHT/WRONG” were positioned as one-offs, with each of us appearing as featured artists on each other’s songs. If we work together again, I think it would be fun for us to go into the studio together, creating music from the ground up and releasing it under both of our names.
—This interview by Yu Onoda first appeared on Billboard Japan. It was conducted in Japanese then translated into English
Ae! Group’s “Gotta Be” blasts in at No. 1 on the Billboard Japan Hot 100, dated Oct. 16.
The title track of the quintet’s second single launched with 411,052 CDs in its first week to rule sales and also came in at No. 4 for radio airplay. Though the figure didn’t match the previous release, “A-Beginning” (782,835 copies in its first week), “Gotta Be” gives Ae! Group its first No. 1 on the tally.
NMB48’s “Ganbaranuwai” debuts at No. 2. The girl group’s 30th single sold 251,651 copies in its first week to hit No. 2 for sales.
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Mrs. GREEN APPLE’s “Lilac” follows at No. 3. The Oblivion Battery opener is still going strong in three metrics of the chart’s measurement: streaming (up 101%), downloads (up 112%), and karaoke (slight gain). The former No. 1 hit has coasted along in the top 3 for seven consecutive weeks and in the top 5 for 26 consecutive weeks. The three-man pop band recently launched its eight-day residency at K-Arena Yokohama, slated to run through Nov. 20.
Creepy Nuts’ “Otonoke” jumps 32-4. The opener for the anime series Dandadan dropped digitally on Oct. 4 and debuted at No. 32 last week. Streaming for the track increased by 337% compared to last week, downloads by 135%, and radio by 437%. The number of downloads has remained higher than that of the duo’s smash hit “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” in both the first and second weeks, so whether the pair’s latest release can also become a long-term hit is something to keep an eye on.
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Comparing the number of streams by country during the first week for each track, “BBBB” logged 33% of its plays from Japan and 16% from the U.S., while “Otonoke” accumulated 41% from Japan and 18% from the U.S., showing a slight increase in the U.S., according to Luminate. In other countries, “BBBB” was played more in Europe, such as in Germany and Spain, while “Otonoke” was played more in Southeast Asia and Latin America, including Mexico and Indonesia.
Official HIGE DANdism’s “Same Blue” rises 7-5. Streaming for the Blue Box opener gained 188% compared to the week before.
KID PHENOMENON’s “Unstoppable” debuts at No. 6, selling 66,499 copies and coming in at No. 3 for sales.
The Billboard Japan Hot 100 combines physical and digital sales, audio streams, radio airplay, video views and karaoke data.
See the full Billboard Japan Hot 100 chart, tallying the week from Oct. 7 to 13, here. For more on Japanese music and charts, visit Billboard Japan’s English X account.
Sir Elton John has been honored in innumerable ways during the span of his half-century career. But later this year Madame Tussauds London will pay tribute to the Rocket Man with a one-of-a-kind, gravity-defying figure that pays homage to the pop icon’s wild and wooly 1970s heyday. According to a press release, the latest rendering […]
Cynthia Erivo has seen the internet’s Wicked memes, and she’s not a fan.
On Wednesday (Oct. 16), the singer-actress blasted a few of the viral edits of the upcoming film’s new poster, which finds Erivo staring at the camera as costar Ariana Grande whispers in her ear in a reimagining of the original Broadway poster for the Wicked musical. When the new poster dropped earlier this month, however, some fans were unhappy that it wasn’t a more exact recreation, which led to people editing the new poster so that it looked more akin to the original — but Erivo isn’t letting it fly.
“This is the wildest, most offensive thing I have seen,” said the artist — whose album Ch. 1 Vs. 1 peaked at No 77 on the Top Album Sales chart in 2021 — sharing one of the edits on her Instagram Story. “The original poster is an ILLUSTRATION. I am a real life human being, who chose to look right down the barrel of the camera to you, the viewer …because, without words we communicate with our eyes.”
“Our poster is an homage not an imitation, to edit my face and hide my eyes is to erase me,” she continued. “And that is just deeply hurtful.”
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Erivo added that the edited posters were “equal to that awful Ai of us fighting” — referring to a viral AI-generated video that animates a fight between the EGOT winner and “Yes, And?” singer using their likenesses on the movie poster — and “equal to” a past meme joking about the color of her famously green-skinned character’s private parts. “None of this is funny,” she wrote. “None of it is cute. It degrades me. It degrades us.”
The Pinocchio star plays Elphaba — aka the Wicked Witch of the West — in the upcoming film duology, the first installment of which hits theaters Nov. 22. Grande is locked in as Glinda the Good Witch, with Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang and Ethan Slater rounding out the cast.
After saying her piece on the edits, Erivo shared the Wicked movie’s actual poster on her Story to “cleanse your palette,” she told viewers. About three hours later, Grande also shared the poster on her own Story.
See the official artwork below.
A summer slowdown in new Billboard Hot 100 top 10s has been followed by a near fall freeze.
Over the past three-plus months, between Hot 100 charts dated from the beginning of July through Oct. 19, only seven songs have notched new peaks in the top 10, led by Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” which has run up an active 14-week reign — the third-longest this decade — beginning July 13.
The other six such Hot 100 top 10s in that span (pending any further climbs): Morgan Wallen’s “Lies Lies Lies” (No. 7 peak, July 20); Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ “Die With a Smile” (No. 3, Aug. 31); Sabrina Carpenter’s “Taste” (No. 2, Sept. 7); Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” (No. 4, Sept. 28); Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” (No. 2, Oct. 12); and The Weeknd and Playboi Carti’s “Timeless” (No. 3, Oct. 12).
The tracks have gained entrance to an especially exclusive club of long-running hits in the Hot 100’s top 10 in that stretch, also among them Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” which has lodged in the tier for 39 weeks and counting, tying for the fifth-longest top 10 stay in the chart’s archives. Plus, Carpenter’s “Espresso” and Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” at Nos. 4 and 10, respectively, on the latest list have each spent 25 weeks in the top 10, while “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has pulled up a stool in the region for 24 weeks.
The extent of two songs hitting new highs in the Hot 100’s top 10 so far in October, following two each in September and July and one in August, represents the most fallow three-month-plus period for turnover in the top bracket over the chart’s entire 66-year history.
Put in further perspective, “Die With a Smile” in August ended a nearly five-year run of multiple Hot 100 top 10s posting new peaks every month since; in November 2018, Ariana Grande’s “Thank U, Next” was the only track to do so, when it began a seven-week rule. Overall, such inertia in the top 10 is rare. March 2009 sported one hit reaching a new high (The All-American Rejects’ “Gives You Hell”), while January 2002 marks the only monthly shutout ever. (Eilish wasn’t ready yet to keep the streak going, as she was born the month before.)
The current trend of hits repeating in the Hot 100’s top 10 isn’t necessarily a bad thing — every week in the chart’s history has featured exactly 10 in-demand top 10s, regardless of their age. A chicken-and-egg element is also involved: Are big hits so strong that newer songs can’t overcome them, or are challengers not on the same level? In any case, a select group of established hits — many multiformat smashes strong in streaming, airplay and sales — is preventing new songs from cycling through the chart’s upper reaches at a rate in line with the past.
What’s behind the relative lack of movement in the Hot 100’s top 10 since early summer? Below are five seemingly key factors.
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Yng Lvcas and Peso Pluma have a billion reasons to celebrate this week. The Mexican singer/rappers both scored their first ever ticket into the YouTube Billion Views Club this week when the clip for the remix of their smash 2023 collaboration, “La Bebe,” crossed the 10-digit line. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See […]
Megan Thee Stallion is ready to tell her story on her own terms and In Her Words. Amazon’s Prime Video gave fans a first glimpse at the candid Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words documentary when the revealing trailer was released on Wednesday (Oct. 16). Hotties have another reason to celebrate Hottieween, as its shaping […]
